Unlike 08 numbers, 03 numbers cost the same to call as geographic landline numbers (starting 01 and 02), even from a mobile phone. They are also normally included in your inclusive call minutes. Please note we may record some calls.

Has Google’s Toolbar PageRank Been Shelved (and Should We Care)?

Google haven’t done a complete toolbar PageRank update in over six months, so does this mean it’s on the way out and if so, should we really care?

The last major update of the toolbar PageRank happened back in early April this year. As usual it caused minor ripples of interest amongst the SEO community. Whilst fortunes were mixed, many sites were rewarded with an improved PR rating – a job well done.

Since April though there have only been minor tremors. The PageRank bar has, by and large, steadfastly held firm and Google haven’t been offering much in the way of guidance on when that situation will be remedied – or even if it will.

The toolbar figure has always been a little controversial. It is offered as a guide to how strong a site’s link structure is. But this figure isn’t exact. It doesn’t even represent the far more complex calculations that Google does beyond the public gaze.

Traditionally, PageRank updates would occur four times each year. Whilst it’s not too late to hurriedly get in a few more by New Years Eve, the apparent inactivity from Google doesn’t suggest this is likely.

Does it really matter though?

Well, not really, no. There are so many ways to measure a site’s strength without consulting a green bar. If you want to know how many links it has, use Webmaster Tools, Yahoo Site Explorer or a free/premium tool like Open Site Explorer from SEOmoz. You could even use our very own free Website Analyser tool.

PageRank is a ranking factor, nothing more than that. It is one of over 200 in fact. As such, a high PR alone doesn’t guarantee a decent ranking within SERPs.

For instance, the Koozai website currently has a PR of 0. Short of being N/A, that’s as low as you can get. But does Google really think that it’s weaker than all other competitor sites? Absolutely not, otherwise it would be impossible to find amongst a sea of PR 4 – 7 SEO sites.

It is there for guidance, nothing more. In fact it probably causes Google more problems than it solves. After all it was this that caused the whole no-follow, PageRank sculpting furore. Unscrupulous types also build strong PR sites (usually by plugging them into an inter-linking network of sites – or farm) and use them as bait for people looking to buy links.

Remove PageRank from the toolbar and you remove this temptation.

We all want an indicator of strength to judge our site’s progress and how it shapes up against others. Each time the metric improves, whatever it may be, it shows that hard work is being rewarded. PageRank has always been a popular choice despite the continued efforts by Google staff to downplay its accuracy and effectiveness as a strength indicator.

It’s a quick reference essentially. Useful, but not all-encompassing. In SEO terms PageRank doesn’t include the quality of your content, keyword targeting or navigation structure. It is simply an indication of your link strength.

The toolbar might be on the verge of an update, in fact there were rumours yesterday that it was underway already [see: Google PageRank Updating This Morning?] – hence the delay in posting this. Equally, it might be getting phased out gradually. Either way, don’t expect Google to say much on the subject.

But whether it’s gone the way of the dodo or is having a temporary rest, a world without PageRank toolbar visibility isn’t the end of SEO. The quarterly ego-boost might be gone, but links are still being measured on strength and your authority will benefit as a consequence.

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4 Comments

I understand the technical problems in deciding which page is more relevant to a key phrase but Google really does place too much weight on inbound links. In my personal experience the “If you build it, they will link” philosophy was flawed from the start not because of people realizing the value of their outbound links but because if you do not have at least some links into your site you will not get any traffic from the search engines. So unless you have an alternative source of traffic no one will see your work and so no one will link to it.

Over time the number of links you need to get into a useful position in the SERPs just grows as more and more link into the existing pages until we get to the point where launching a new site or adding new content isn’t worthwhile.

The Google pagerank is a single focal point indicator of a sites link popularity. It is this simplicity that makes it a convenient way to quickly judge the quality of a site. Above you are suggesting people consult a a variety of tools in order to find out how many back links a site has. To me the quantity of back links is NOT the main indicator of a sites quality, instead it is the quality of back links i care about and is often reflected in a high page rank.

The other thing i cannot stand is those who say stuff like “Google Page Rank…….should we even care?” and “Google Page Rank has no point or use”.

The fact that Google created an algorithm heavily based on link popularity to build rankings has inadvertently triggered the birth of several “Industries” based on the buying and selling of links, not to mention thousands of services and tools built to increase links. Page Rank plays a major role in these markets and many make tens of thousands of $ a month selling “High Page Rank” links…….

Back in the day Googles intentions were that everyone lives in a magical world where “If you build it, they will link” idea made sense. The problem is people realized the value of their outbound links shortly after and anybody competing in the SERPS began to treat their outbound links like assets.

Now, this may not be “Best Practices” but unfortunately Google did not design it’s algo’s to take into account, “how beautiful your images are, or how nice your CSS menu is”.

What do you think?

What Is The Difference Between Digital PR And Traditional PR?

Digital public relations (digital PR) can be an effective way to increase brand visibility and drive more quality traffic to your website or landing page. But just what is digital PR and how does it differ from traditional PR techniques? Here’s an overview of the differences (and similarities). (more…)

Vicky Taylor @vicky_taylor

8th May 2018 Digital PR

BrightonSEO 2018 Recap – Part 4 (With Slides)

Coming in with the final of our four blogs recapping BrightonSEO 2018, here’s our final rundown of the talks with actionable takeaways and slides.

For more slides from today’s conference, check out part 1, part 2 and part 3 of our BrightonSEO 2018 roundups.

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